Mather for upholding such a doctrine has never been equaled even by the yellow press. The distinguished clergyman was something of a fighter, as may be seen from his "Advice to the Publick" published in The Gazette:
Whereas a wicked Libel called the New-England Courant, has represented me as one among the Supporters of it; I do hereby declare, that altho' I paid for two or three of them, I then, (before the last Courant was published) sent him word I was extreamly offended with it! In special, because in one of his Vile Courants he insinuates, that if the Ministers of God approve of a thing, it is a Sign it is of the Devil; which is a horrid thing to be related! And altho' in one of the Courants it is declared, that The London Mercury Sept. 16, 1721, affirs that Great Numbers of Persons in the City and suburbs are under the Inoculation of the Small Pox; in his next Courant he asserts, that it was some Busy Inoculator, that imposed on the Publick in saying so; Whereas I myself saw and read those words in The London Mercury: And he doth frequently abuse the Ministers of Religion, and many other worthy Persons in a manner, which is intolerable. For these and such like Reasons I signified to the Printer, that I would have no more of their Wicked Courants. I that have known what New-England was from the Beginning, cannot but be troubled to see the Degeneracy of this Place. I can well remember when the Civil Government would have taken an effectual Course to suppress such a Cursed Libel! which if it be not done I am afraid that some Awful Judgment will come upon this Land, and the Wrath of God will arise, and there will be no Remedy. I cannot but pity poor Franklin, who tho' but a Young Man it may be Speedily he must appear before the Judgment Seat of God, and what answer will he give for printing things so vile and abominable? And I cannot but Advise the Supporters of this Courant to consider the Consequences of being Partakers in other Mens Sins, and no more Countenance such a Wicked Paper.
The Reverend Mr. Mather was reported to have said that The New-England Courant was "carried on by a Hell-Fire Club, with a Non-Juror at the head of them." Not content with picking a quarrel with the clergy Franklin began to criticize the acts of civil magistrates. But let Benjamin Franklin tell the tale how he broke into journalism as the result of his brother's troubles with the Assembly, even though he is in error about dates and numerical rank of The New-England Courant which was the third paper in Boston and the fourth in the colonies:—
My brother had, in 1720, begun to print a newspaper. It was the second that appeared in America, and was called the New England Cou-
